02 July 2008

If it wasn't bad enough

that women have to be thin...


"...all anyone wanted to cast was the scrawny kid who looked like he got sand kicked in his face. The big, great looking models just stopped going to Europe. They knew they’d never get cast." NY Times, Vanishing Point

Male models are even experiencing pressure to be thin. Not just trim, but anorexic looking. I don't know what the designers are thinking, but these models are a complete turn off. I don't even want to look at their ads, little alone buy their goods. Maybe I'm not even in the demographics any more...

Are they targeting men or women? I don't think women have evolved past the point of wanting a strong male provider. Call me a cave girl, but I could never have married a man like this, which wouldn't have been an issue because I never would've dated a man like this. Give me tall, dark and handsome...even hairy . I want a spouse who's going to be a husband and father, not a cake topper.

Despite the earnings potential of these guys, they don't really appear to be husband material. If their modeling gig ever came to an end, I don't think they could run down to the local construction site and apply for a job without some serious snickers. And, from a woman's point of view, they don't look like they could hold down a desk job because those jobs typically require some independent thinking and these guys are completely caught up in someone else's idea of beauty and fashion.

This weekend I came across two men who had shaved their legs and obviously applied lotion to provide that "oh-so-supple" look. The first man was spotted at Sam's Club in the check out line in front of us. He was impersonating a metrosexual, wearing a blue tooth phone and all the other required accoutrements. But, the other was a married man who was eating dinner with his wife and young daughter. Things are really backwards when the man has to borrow his wife's razor to shave his legs.

If my husband suddenly started shaving his legs, I'd schedule an appointment with a mental health specialist. I'd even consult a canon lawyer. It has to be grounds for an annulment.

* The Vanishing Point
* Male models: Pressure to be thin (WSJ)

11 comments:

ArchAngel's Advocate said...

And I was worried when the nurse wanted to shave my chest to attach EKG leads...

swissmiss said...

At least she was using a razor and didn't plan to wax you :)

Anonymous said...

From one cave girl to another--give me a big strong hairy MAN. Preferably wearing a t-shirt and a big honking tool belt--I love to watch men work--they are so very attractive!

Kit said...

Ick. If you have to wonder who weighs more, you or your scrawny boyfriend, well, EEWWW! And if there's competition for mirror time...yeah...that's just not working for me. And don't get me started on questionable male use of hair "product."

(FYI: This applies to several attys I used to know in So. Cal. By way of contrast, I had to gently censure the Beloved today, because he came to the dinner table with clean hands, face, and feet...but evidence of freshly mown grass and recently trimmed hedges in his hair!)

:)

I love REAL men!

Mairin :o) said...

I agree. Men should look like men.

My very proper mom absolutely drooled over Tom Selleck - hairy gent that he is. It was shocking to me to hear her practically pant over him. My dad was a stick when he was young, but hairy.

Terry Nelson said...

Thanks for using my photo in my Ferrari - I've always loved that car.

As for the anorexic models - it's part of the no-gender movement.

swissmiss said...

Kit:
The only hair product my hubby uses is shampoo and he does goofy male things like you mentioned...grass in his hair but the rest of him is clean. Real men, yup. Got my vote!

Mairin:
Tom Selleck scores pretty high on the scale. A lot of the men in Hollywood would be more attractive if they weren't such liberal nut cases.

Terry:
Can you swing by and pick me up?

swissmiss said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
gemoftheocean said...

Here's one to pass on to your daughter:

"Dear, never date a man who has nicer earrings than you do. It will only come to grief!"

Ditto if you can beat him arm wrestling. ;-D

Anonymous said...

Yeah....as a woman who has worked in several manly fields, let's just say it'll take quite a guy to sweep me off my feet. And the males models need not apply. Even BEFORE they got skinny I didn't see them as real men.

WhiteStoneNameSeeker said...

Whenever I see those adverts with the skinny kids in them - the Catholic mum in me just wants to take them home and give them a proper meal!
The fashion industry is nihilistic it seems to me.
And these models are just starved kids-WHERE are the parents?